קוֹל H6963a
voice, sound; human speech, divine utterance, thunder, noise, or report — the audible expression of will or event
One of the most theologically charged nouns in the Hebrew Bible, qol spans the full range of audible phenomena — from a whisper to a thunderclap. It denotes the human voice in speech, weeping, and song, but reaches its greatest weight in the phrase qol YHWH, the voice of the LORD that commands, judges, and reveals. The plural qolot characteristically refers to thunderpeals, linking the storm theophany to divine speech. In the obedience idiom shama' beqol, the voice itself becomes a metonym for authority, making hearing inseparable from heeding.
6. sense 6 — A report or news that spreads — the voice as rumor or tidings. Genesis 45:16 records that the qol was heard in Pharaoh's house that Joseph's brothers had come. The English 'report,' Spanish voz (in the sense of 'rumor'), and German Nachricht confirm a semantic extension from audible sound to transmitted information, a metonymic shift found across Semitic and Indo-European languages alike. 1×
AR["وَ-الْ-خَبَرُ"]·ben["আর-শব্দ"]·DE["und-die-Nachricht"]·EN["and-the-report"]·FR["et-le-report"]·heb["ו-ה-קול"]·HI["और-ख़बर"]·ID["Dan-berita-itu"]·IT["e-il-report"]·jav["Lan-suwanten-punika"]·KO["그리고-소리가"]·PT["e-o-rumor"]·RU["и-слух"]·ES["y-la-voz"]·SW["na-sauti"]·TR["Ve-haber"]·urd["اور-خبر"]
▼ 5 more senses below
Senses
1. voice (human, general) — The ordinary human voice used in speech, crying out, singing, or any vocal utterance. Multilingual glosses converge on 'voice/voz/voix/Stimme' without further qualification, confirming this as the unmarked default. Deuteronomy 27:14 (the Levites proclaim with a loud voice) and 1 Samuel 1:13 (Hannah's silent lips contrasted with her voice) illustrate the range from public declaration to whispered prayer. 256×
AR["بِ-صَوتٍ","بِ-صَوْتٍ","بِصَوتٍ-","بِصَوْتٍ","بِـ-صَوْتٍ","صَوتاً","صَوْتًا","صَوْتًا-","صَوْتٌ","صَوْتٍ","صَوْتَ","صَوْتَكَ"]·ben["-ধ্বনি","আওয়াজ","এক-কণ্ঠে","কণ্ঠ","কণ্ঠস্বরে","কন্ঠস্বর","ঘোষণা","ধ্বনি","রব","শব্দ","স্বর","স্বর-","স্বরে"]·DE["Stimme","ein-Stimme","mit-ein-Stimme","sound"]·EN["a-voice","proclamation","sound","voice","voice-","with-a-voice"]·FR["avec-un-voix","son","un-voix","voix"]·heb["קול"]·HI["आवाज","आवाज-से","आवाज़","आवाज़-","आवाज़-से"]·ID["pengumuman","seruan","suara","suara-"]·IT["con-un-voce","suono","un-voce","voce"]·jav["suwanten","swanten","swara","swara-"]·KO["소리","소리-","소리-가","소리로","소리를","소리뿐이다","음성으로","음성이"]·PT["uma-voz","voz"]·RU["глас","голос","голос-","голоса","голосом"]·ES["la-voz","voz","voz."]·SW["akisema","kwol","sauti","sauti-moja"]·TR["ses","ses-","sesi","sesini","sesle"]·urd["آواز","آواز-","آواز-سے","اواز"]
Exod 24:3, Exod 36:6, Deut 4:12, Deut 5:22, Deut 27:14, 1 Sam 26:17, 2 Sam 15:23, 2 Sam 19:4, 2 Sam 22:7, 1 Kgs 8:55, 1 Kgs 18:26, 1 Kgs 18:29 (+38 more)
2. voice of God / divine voice — The voice of God — qol YHWH — in theophany, revelation, and sovereign command. Spanish voz-de, French voix-de, and German Stimme-von all preserve the construct-chain structure, marking this as a possessive theological formula rather than a general sound. Genesis 3:8 (the LORD walking in the garden) and Deuteronomy 4:12 (you heard the sound of words but saw no form) anchor this sense in Israel's foundational encounters with divine speech. 163×
AR["صَوتَ","صَوتُ","صَوْتَ","صَوْتُ","صَوْتِ"]·ben["কণ্ঠ","কণ্ঠস্বর","গলা","রব","শব্দ","স্বর"]·DE["Stimme-von","die-Stimme","ein-Stimme-von","ist-die-Stimme","sound-von"]·EN["a-voice-of","sound-of","the-voice-of","voice-of"]·FR["le-voix-de","son-de","sound-de","une-voix-de","voix-de"]·heb["קול"]·HI["आवाज","आवाज़","लोगों-ने"]·ID["suara"]·IT["il-voce-di","sound-di","un-voce-di","voce-di"]·jav["Swara","suwanten","swanten","swara"]·KO["목소리는","목소리를","소리","소리다","소리를","음성(접)","음성을"]·PT["Voz-de-","a-voz","som-de","voz-de","voz-de-"]·RU["-голос","голос","голосу"]·ES["la-voz-de","sonido-de","voz-de"]·SW["mahali","sauti","sauti-ya","ya-kijana"]·TR["ses","sesi","sesini","sesini-"]·urd["آواز"]
Gen 3:8, Gen 4:10, Gen 21:17, Gen 21:17, Gen 27:22, Exod 32:17, Exod 32:17, Exod 32:18, Exod 32:18, Exod 32:18, Lev 5:1, Deut 1:34 (+38 more)
3. sound / noise (non-vocal) — Non-vocal audible phenomena: the sound of water, wind, chariots, wings, grinding, or battle. Multilingual glosses shift from 'voice' to 'sound/sonido/son/Klang,' signaling acoustic rather than communicative content. The rustling in the balsam trees (2 Sam 5:24) and the sound of the trumpet growing louder (Exod 19:19) exemplify environmental or instrumental noise distinct from speech. 71×
AR["تَتَأَخَّرْ","وَ-الصَّوْتُ","وَ-صَوتَ","وَ-صَوْتٍ","وَ-صَوْتَ","وَ-صَوْتُ","وَ-صَوْتِ","وَصَوْتٌ","وَصَوْتُ","وِ-قُول"]·ben["-এবং-ধ্বনি","-এবং-শব্দ","আর-শব্দ","আর-স্বর","এবং-কণ্ঠস্বর","এবং-ধ্বনি","এবং-শব্দ","এবং-স্বর","ও-শব্দ","ও-শব্দে-"]·DE["und-Stimme","und-der-Klang-von","und-der-Stimme"]·EN["and-a-sound-of","and-a-voice","and-great","and-sound-of","and-the-sound","and-the-sound-of","and-the-voice-of","and-voice-of"]·FR["et-la-voix","et-voix"]·heb["ו-ה-קול","ו-קול"]·HI["और-आवाज","और-आवाज़"]·ID["dan-suara"]·IT["e-voce"]·jav["lan-kang-swanten","lan-suwanten","lan-swanten","lan-swanten-","lan-swantenipun"]·KO["그리고-그-소리","그리고-목소리가","그리고-목소리를","그리고-소리","그리고-소리-가","그리고-소리-와","그리고-소리가","그리고-소리를","그리고-의-소리를"]·PT["e-a-voz-de","e-o-som","e-som-de","e-voz","e-voz-de","e-voz-de-"]·RU["и-голос","и-голос-","и-голосом","и-звуком"]·ES["ni-voz-de","y-el-sonido","y-sonido","y-sonido-de-","y-voz","y-voz-de"]·SW["na-sauti","na-sauti-ya","na-sauti-ya-"]·TR["ve-ses","ve-sesi","ve-sesi-","ve-sesini","ve-sesle"]·urd["اور-آواز","اور-آواز-سے","اور-ال-آواز"]
Exod 19:19, Exod 20:18, Lev 26:36, 2 Sam 5:24, 1 Kgs 14:6, 1 Kgs 18:41, 2 Kgs 6:32, 2 Kgs 7:6, 2 Kgs 7:6, 2 Kgs 7:6, Ezra 3:13, Job 4:10 (+38 more)
4. thunder (קוֹלוֹת) — Thunder — specifically the plural qolot used for thunderclaps in storm and theophany contexts. Spanish truenos, French tonnerre, and German Donner all diverge sharply from the singular 'voice' glosses, confirming a lexicalized meteorological sense. The Exodus plague narrative (9:23–34) and Psalm 29's sevenfold 'voice of the LORD' blur the boundary between natural thunder and divine power. 11×
AR["أَصْوَاتًا","الرَّعودِ","الرُّعُودَ","الرُّعُودُ","الرُّعُودِ؟","رُعُودًا","رُعُودٌ","رُعُودُ","وَالرُّعُودُ"]·ben["এবং-বজ্রপাতগুলি","বজ্রধ্বনি","বজ্রপাত","বজ্রপাতগুলি","বাজ","বাজগুলিকে","শব্দের"]·DE["Donner","Donner-von","Stimme","der-Donner","der-thunders","thunders","und-der-Donner"]·EN["and-the-thunder","of-sounds","sounds","the-thunder","the-thunders","thunder","thunder-of","thunders"]·FR["et-le-tonnerre","le-thunders","le-tonnerre","thunders","tonnerre","tonnerre-de","voix"]·heb["ה-קולות","ו-ה-קולות","קולות"]·HI["आवाज़ों-की","और-गड़गड़ाहटें","गड़गड़ाहटें","गरज","गरजनों","गरजें","गर्जना"]·ID["dan-guntur","guntur"]·IT["e-il-tuono","il-thunders","il-tuono","thunders","tuoni","tuono","tuono-di","voce"]·jav["gludhug","gludhug-gludhug","gludug","lan-gludug"]·KO["그-소리들과","그-천둥들은","그-천둥들이","그리고-그-천둥들이","소리들을","소리들의","소리들이","음성들의","천둥들을","천둥들의"]·PT["de-trovões.","de-vozes?","e-os-trovões","os-trovões","trovões","trovões-de"]·RU["гремящего","громов","громовой","громы","и-громы"]·ES["los-truenos","truenos","truenos-de","y-los-truenos"]·SW["na-ngurumo","ngurumo","wa-ngurumo"]·TR["gök-gürültüleri","gök-gürültülerinin","gök-gürültülü","gökgürültüleri","sesleri","ve-gök-gürültüleri"]·urd["آوازوں-کا","اور-گرج","گرج","گرجتی","گرجیں"]
5. obedient hearing (שׁמע בְּקוֹל) — Voice as the object of obedience in the collocation shama' beqol (hear/heed the voice of). Multilingual evidence shows possessive suffixes — su-voz, leur-voix, ihr-Stimme — marking the voice as the locus of authority rather than mere acoustic content. Exodus 28:35 (the bells on Aaron's garment so his sound is heard) and Numbers 16:34 (Israel fleeing at the cry) show the idiom extending beyond divine commands to any authoritative voice. 3×
AR["صَوتُهُ","مِنْ-صَوْتِهِمْ"]·ben["তাদের-আওয়াজে","তাদের-শব্দ-থেকে","তার-শব্দ"]·DE["Stimme","bei-ihr-Stimme","sein-sound"]·EN["at-their-voice","its-sound"]·FR["de-leur-voix","son-son","à-leur-voix"]·heb["ל-קלם","מ-קולם","קולו"]·HI["उनकी-आवाज़-से","उसकी-आवाज़","से-आवाज़-उनकी"]·ID["bunyinya","dari-suara-mereka"]·IT["a-loro-voce","da-la-loro-voce","suo-sound"]·jav["saking-swanten-ipun","saking-swaranipun","suwanten-ipun"]·KO["그들의-소리-에","그의-소리가","에서-그들의-소리에서"]·PT["ao-som-deles","de-sua-voz","som-dele"]·RU["звук-его","от-голоса-их","при-голосе-их"]·ES["a-su-voz","de-su-voz","su-sonido"]·SW["kwa-sauti-yao","sauti-yake"]·TR["sesi","seslerinden","seslerine"]·urd["اُس-کی-آواز","اُن-کی-آواز-سے","اُن-کی-آواز-پر"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
קוֹל (sometimes, c. pref. et suff., קֹל)506 n.m. Gn 39:14 sound, voice;—abs. קוֹל Gn 4:10 + (הַקֹּל 27:22; 45:16); cstr. קוֹל 3:8 + (וְקֹל Ex 19:16, לְקֹל 4:8(×2)); sf. קוֹלִי 1 S 26:17 +, קוֹלְךָ Ju 18:25 +, etc. (קֹלִי Gn 22:18, קֹלֶ֑ךָ Ex 3:18, etc.); pl. (usually of thunder) קֹלֹת Ex 9:23 + 4 times, קוֹלֹת 20:18 (Gi v 15), קֹלוֹת 1 S 2:17 + 5 times;— 1. sound: especially a. of human voice Jos…